Systems, methods, and devices for multi-stage provisioning and multi-tenant operation for a security credential management system

ABSTRACT

A system for provisioning computerized devices of a plurality of tenants is provided. The system includes a security credential management system (SCMS) host connected to the devices and that is operable to receive provisioning requests from respective ones of the devices needing certificates, each provisioning request indicating a tenant identifier uniquely identifying a tenant, at least one registration authority that is communicatively connected to the SCMS host and transmits the provisioning requests to SCMS backend components based on the tenant identifier of each provisioning request. The SCMS backend components includes a plurality of enrollment certificate authorities operable to generate the enrollment certificates in response to the provisioning requests, each provisioning request being transmitted to one of the plurality of enrollment certificate authorities based on the tenant identifier of each provisioning request, and a pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates in response to provisioning requests for pseudonym certificates.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/591,093, filed Oct. 2, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/191,030, filed Nov. 14, 2018, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/585,756 filed onNov. 14, 2017, the applications of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to systems, devices, and methods for securelygenerating and providing certain types of digital assets such assecurity credentials and digital certificates. More particularly, theinvention relates to improved systems, methods and techniques forproviding multi-tenant operations (e.g., multi-client) while securelyprovisioning digital assets in computerized devices in order to improveefficiency in provisioning the digital assets in the computerizeddevices that are associated with multiple tenants (e.g., multipleclients).

BACKGROUND

As computers have become ever more miniaturized and commoditized,manufacturers are producing more and more varied devices that includeone or more embedded computer or processor. The computer in acomputerized device can control the device's operation; collect, store,and share data; communicate with other computers and other computerizeddevices; and update its own software, among other things.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of computerized physicaldevices that have embedded processor(s), electronics, software, data,sensors, actuators, and/or network connectivity, which enable thesedevices to connect and exchange data via digital networks, including theInternet, cellular networks, and other wireless networks. Typically,each “thing” needs to be uniquely identifiable through its embeddedcomputing system, and be able to inter-operate within the existingInternet infrastructure or by using other communications media.

“Things”, in the IoT sense, can refer to a wide variety of computerizeddevices, such as consumer appliances, enterprise devices used inbusiness and corporate settings, manufacturing machines, farmingequipment, energy-consuming devices in homes and buildings (switches,power outlets, appliances, lighting systems, bulbs, televisions, garagedoor openers, sprinkler systems, security systems, etc.), medical andhealthcare devices, infrastructure management devices, robots, drones,and transportation devices and vehicles, among many others.

For example, most, if not all, modern vehicles and transportationmachinery (e.g., automobiles, trucks, aircraft, trains, watercraft,motorcycles, scooters, and the like) contain several embedded processorsor embedded computers in their subsystems, and are computer-controlledin at least some aspects. Similarly, a growing number of moderntransportation infrastructure devices (e.g., traffic lights, trafficcameras, traffic sensors, bridge monitors, bridge control systems, andthe like) contain at least one, and often many, embedded processors orembedded computer systems, and are computer-controlled in at least someaspects. These computer-controlled elements of the transportationnetwork typically communicate with each other, passing various types ofinformation back and forth, and they may react, respond, change theiroperation, or otherwise depend upon the information received/sentfrom/to other vehicles in Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V; also known asCar-to-Car (C2C)) communications and/or from/to infrastructure elementsin Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I; also known as Car-to-Infrastructure(C2I)) communications for safe, correct, efficient, and reliableoperation.

The computers in computerized devices operate according to theirsoftware and/or firmware and data. In order to ensure safe and properoperation, the computerized devices must be properly initialized andupdated with the proper software, firmware, executable instructions,digital certificates (e.g., public key certificates), cryptographic keysand the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as “digital assets”or “software”) as intended by the manufacturer, so that the IoT consistsonly of devices that are executing authorized, known-to-be-good softwareand data. Problems arise, however, when unauthorized persons ororganizations (e.g., hackers) replace or change the software incomputerized devices. Problems also arise when older software, untestedsoftware, unapproved software, and/or software with known bugs isinstalled in computerized devices.

Existing techniques for provisioning digital assets in computerizeddevices associated with multiple tenants (e.g., clients) require adedicated Security Credential Management System (SCMS) that isspecifically configured for each tenant or client. That is, existingtechniques for provisioning digital assets in computerized devices donot enable an SCMS to provide multi-tenant operations.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved systems, methods andtechniques for providing multi-tenant (e.g., multi-client) operationswhile securely provisioning digital assets in computerized devices, suchas IoT devices, vehicles, and transportation infrastructure devices, inorder to reduce or eliminate redundancies in requiring separate SecurityCredential Management Systems (SCMSs) for provisioning the digitalassets in the computerized devices of separate tenants (e.g., clients).

SUMMARY

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a system forsecurely provisioning a plurality of computerized devices of a pluralityof tenants is provided. The system includes a security credentialmanagement system (SCMS) host that is communicatively connected to theplurality of computerized devices and that is operable to receiveprovisioning requests from respective ones of the plurality ofcomputerized devices needing certificates, each provisioning requestindicating a tenant identifier (ID) uniquely identifying a tenant of theplurality of tenants, at least one registration authority that iscommunicatively connected to the SCMS host and is operable to transmitthe provisioning requests to a set of SCMS backend components based onthe tenant identifier of each provisioning request, the set of SCMSbackend components including a plurality of enrollment certificateauthorities operable to generate the enrollment certificates in responseto receiving the provisioning requests for the enrollment certificatesfrom computerized devices, each provisioning request being transmittedto one of the plurality of enrollment certificate authorities based onthe tenant identifier of each provisioning request, and a pseudonymcertificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates inresponse to receiving the provisioning requests for pseudonymcertificates from the at least one registration authority.

The system may include a first linkage authority and a second linkageauthority operable to generate linkage values in response to receivingthe provisioning requests for linkage values from the at least oneregistration authority.

The system may include a plurality of registration authorities, theplurality of registration authorities including at least one sharedregistration authority that is operable to process requests for two ormore tenants of the plurality of tenants, and at least one dedicatedregistration authority that is operable to process requests for a singletenant, wherein the single tenant has either a business requirement forcertain customization or a service level agreement (SLA) indicating thatthe SCMS host is to provide a higher service tier to the single tenantthan a service tier provided to the two or more tenants.

The system may further include a plurality of sets of SCMS backendcomponents, the plurality of sets of SCMS backend components includingat least one shared set of SCMS backend components. The shared set ofSCMS backend components may include the shared enrollment certificateauthority, which is operable to generate enrollment certificates for twoor more tenants of the plurality of tenants in response to receivingrequests to generate enrollment certificates from the at least oneshared registration authority, a shared first linkage authority and ashared second linkage authority operable to generate linkage values fortwo or more tenants of the plurality of tenants in response to receivingrequests for linkage values from the at least one shared registrationauthority, and a shared pseudonym certificate authority operable togenerate pseudonym certificates for two or more tenants of the pluralityof tenants in response to receiving requests for pseudonym certificatesfrom the at least one shared registration authority, at least oneindependent set of SCMS backend components. The independent set of SCMSbackend components may include an independent first linkage authorityand an independent second linkage authority operable to generate linkagevalues for the single tenant in response to receiving requests forlinkage values from the at least one dedicated registration authority,and an independent pseudonym certificate authority operable to generatepseudonym certificates for the single tenant in response to receivingrequests for pseudonym certificates from the at least one dedicatedregistration authority.

A service tier may be associated with each tenant of the plurality oftenants, and the service tier may correspond to one of a plurality oftiers ranging from a lowest service level to a highest service level.

The SCMS host may be further operable to parse the tenant ID from eachprovisioning request, and route, based on the tenant ID and the servicetier associated with the tenant, each provisioning request to one of theat least one shared registration authority and the at least onededicated registration authority.

Each provisioning request may indicate the tenant ID in one of a UniformResource Locator (URL), a route, a key value pair, or an HTTP headerelement.

Each provisioning request may indicate configuration details for thetenant, application permissions needed by the tenant, and validityinformation for certificates needed by a computerized device of thetenant.

The application permissions needed by the tenant may be centrallyconfigured and managed by the SCMS host, and wherein the applicationpermissions needed by the tenant are inserted in the issued certificatesbased on the tenant ID or a device identifier identifying a computerizeddevice of the tenant.

The application permissions may be indicated by Provider ServiceIdentifier (PSID) values.

Each provisioning request may be an HTTPS POST command with a URL of theat least one registration authority.

The system may further include a certificate management system (CMS)management portal (CMP) operable to provide interfaces for the pluralityof computerized devices and the plurality of tenants to communicate withthe SCMS.

The system may further include a subscriber management system (SMS)operable to store and manage account information of the plurality oftenants.

The system may further include an SMS database that is operablyconnected to the SMS and that is operable to store the accountinformation and local policy parameters for the tenant.

The local policy parameters may be stored in a local policy file (LPF)for the tenant.

The LPF for the tenant may include parameters that configure a durationof validity for certificates, a number of certificates computerizeddevices of the tenant are allowed to possess, an overlap time period forcertificates, an amount of time the certificates will be valid for inthe future, and an indication of when the tenant will need to request acertificate top-off.

The computerized devices needing certificates may correspond to one ormore of an on board unit (OBU), an electronic control unit (ECU), aroad-side unit (RSU), and a traffic management center device (TMCD).

The OBU may be operable to be installed in one or more of a vehicle, awatercraft, an aircraft, a spacecraft, a medical device, a robot, adrone, a wireless communication module, a wired communication module,and an internet of things (IoT) device. The ECU may be operable to beinstalled in one or more of a vehicle, a boat, an aircraft, aspacecraft, a medical device, a robot, a drone, a wireless communicationmodule, a wired communication module, and an IoT device. The RSU may beoperable to be installed in one or more of a traffic control device, awireless communication module, a digital billboard, and as an electronicsign. The TMCD may be operable to be installed in local, state orfederal traffic management centers for use in digitally signing messagesfor broadcast or display by an RSU.

According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, a system forsecurely provisioning a plurality of computerized devices of a pluralityof tenants is provided. The system includes a security credentialmanagement system (SCMS) host that is communicatively connected to theplurality of computerized devices and that is operable to receiveprovisioning requests from respective ones of the plurality ofcomputerized devices needing certificates, each provisioning requestindicating a tenant identifier (ID) uniquely identifying a tenant of theplurality of tenants and a device type identifying the device type forthe respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices, and atleast one registration authority that is communicatively connected tothe SCMS host and is operable to transmit the provisioning requests to aset of SCMS backend components based on the tenant identifier of eachprovisioning request. The set of SCMS backend components includes aplurality of enrollment certificate authorities operable to generate theenrollment certificates in response to receiving the provisioningrequests for the enrollment certificates, and one or more pseudonymcertificate authorities operable to generate pseudonym certificates inresponse to receiving the provisioning requests for pseudonymcertificates from the at least one registration authority. Eachprovisioning request is transmitted to a set of SCMS backend componentsbased on the tenant ID and the device type indicated in eachprovisioning request.

At least one dedicated registration authority may be associated with afirst tenant, and the dedicated registration authority may be configuredto access different sets of SCMS backend components based on the devicetype associated with the respective provisioning request.

The dedicated registration authority may be configured to transmit aprovisioning request from one of a subset of an onboard unit device(OBU), a roadside unit (RSU), an electronic control unit (ECU), and atraffic management control unit (TMCU) to a first SCMS backendcomponent, and to transmit a provisioning request from another one of anOBU, RSU, ECU, and TMCU not included in the subset, to a second SCMSbackend component.

The SCMS may be configured to track a number of computerized devicesprovisioned for each of the plurality of tenants and of each device typebased on the provisioning requests, and to verify, based on the count,that overproduction has not occurred for a particular device type.

The SCMS may be configured to verify whether a computerized deviceassociated with a provisioning request is authorized by accessingaccount information associated with the tenant ID.

The SCMS may be further configured to verify whether the computerizeddevice associated with the provisioning request has an active status.

The SCMS may be configured to configure a local policy file (LPF) inresponse to a provisioning request, the LPF configuration being based atleast on the device type.

According to yet further embodiments of the present disclosure, acomputer implemented method for securely provisioning a plurality ofcomputerized devices of a plurality of tenants is provided. The methodincludes receiving, by a security credential management system (SCMS)host that is communicatively connected to the plurality of computerizeddevices, provisioning requests from the plurality of computerizeddevices needing certificates, each provisioning request indicating atenant identifier (ID) uniquely identifying a tenant of the plurality oftenants and a device type identifying the device type for the respectiveones of the plurality of computerized devices, routing, by the SCMShost, based at least in part on the tenant ID and the device type, theprovisioning requests to at least one registration authority that iscommunicatively connected to the SCMS host and is operable to transmitthe provisioning requests to a set of SCMS backend components. The setof SCMS backend components includes a set of enrollment certificateauthorities operable to generate the enrollment certificates in responseto receiving the provisioning requests for the enrollment certificatesfrom the at least one registration authority, and one or more pseudonymcertificate authorities operable to generate pseudonym certificates inresponse to receiving the provisioning requests for pseudonymcertificates from the at least one registration authority.

At least one dedicated registration authority may be associated with afirst tenant, and the dedicated registration authority may be configuredto access different SCMS backend components based on the device typeassociated with the respective provisioning request.

The method may further include counting a number of computerized devicesprovisioned for each of the plurality of tenants and each of device typebased on the provisioning requests, and verifying, based on thecounting, that overproduction has not occurred for a particular devicetype.

The method may include configuring a local policy file (LPF) in responseto a provisioning request, the LPF configuration being based at least onthe device type.

The method may include verifying whether a computerized deviceassociated with a provisioning request is authorized by accessingaccount information associated with the tenant ID.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate implementations of the inventionand together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example of a method for provisioningand tracking computerized devices of entities needing certificatesperformed in a secure provisioning system, consistent withimplementations of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example of a method for configuring andproviding a local policy file (LPF) for a computerized device performedin a secure provisioning system consistent with implementations of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting an example of a method for providing atop-off of security assets to a computerized device performed in asecure provisioning system consistent with implementations of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an example of a secure provisioning systemconfigured to support multi-tenant operations consistent withimplementations of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting computerized devices corresponding tomultiple tenants of a secure provisioning system consistent withimplementations of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram depicting an example workflow within a secureprovisioning system including a certificate management system (CMS)management portal (CMP) consistent with implementations of theinvention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an example operating environment for asecure provisioning system configured to support multi-tenant operationsconsistent with implementations of the invention;

FIG. 8A is the first part of a swim-lane diagram illustrating an exampleof a process for securely providing credentials such as certificates, tomultiple tenants, consistent with implementations of the invention;

FIG. 8B is the second part of a swim-lane diagram illustrating anexample of a process for securely providing credentials such ascertificates, to multiple tenants, consistent with implementations ofthe invention; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example of a computing system that maybe used for hosting systems and methods consistent with implementationsof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary implementations of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

In various implementations, embedded computer-controlled devices can besecured by provisioning security assets within the devices. The securityassets can include, for example, cryptographic keys, unique identifiers,digital certificates, and security software. Additionally, the securityassets can be used for secure communications to, for example,authenticate devices and perform over-the-air programming (OTA) softwareupdates.

In order to ensure safe and proper operation in the field, embeddeddevices, for instance, the Electronic Control Units (ECUs) used invehicles, need to be properly initialized during manufacturing byprovisioning digital assets, such as security assets. Digital assetscould include various digital certificates, cryptographic keys, a uniqueidentifier, and software. In most cases, an SCMS that generates thesedigital assets for various tenants and manufacturing factories arelocated in different geographical locations, which are conventionallyinterconnected via insecure Internet communications. It is thereforedesirable to create an end-to-end secure channel from the origin ofthese digital assets to the devices of multiple tenants, such that thedigital assets cannot be accessed or modified by malicious parties or byaccident. Typically, different manufacturing factories and tenants(e.g., clients, customers, and subscribers) require different SCMSconfigurations. In various implementations, a tenant can be an entitysuch as a company or manufacturer, a client of an SCMS, or a subscriberto a SCMS. Traditionally, a separate SCMS with dedicated hardware mustbe configured for each tenant. Therefore, it is desirable to minimizeredundancy and costs associated with using dedicated, custom-configuredSCMSs to provide these digital assets to multiple tenants.

In the following description, reference will be made to security assetsprovisioned within Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure(V2X) devices. V2X devices can include, for example, On Board Unit(OBUs), Electronic Control Unit (ECUs), and Road-Side Units (RSUs).However, implementations described herein are not limited to V2Xdevices, and the disclosed principles can be applied to other types ofcomputer-controlled devices. For example, in additional or alternativeimplementations, multi-tenant processes and systems can be used toprovide certificates to other computerized devices, such as, forexample, C2X devices. For instance, an enhanced SCMS with the CMP,virtual registration authorities, SMS, and SMS database componentssimilar to those shown in FIG. 4 can provide certificates to one or moreOBUs, ECUs, and RSUs. In various implementations, the OBUs and ECUs canbe configured to be installed into vehicles, watercraft (e.g., boats),aircraft (e.g., airplanes and drones), spacecraft, medical devices,robots, wireless or wired communication modules, and IoT devices.Similarly, the RSUs can be installed into traffic control devices (e.g.,traffic signals), roadside content distribution systems, electronictolling systems, electronic signage devices, and digital display devices(e.g., electronic billboards).

In the V2X ecosystem, a security asset (e.g., an enrollment certificate)can be used to identify and authorize an end entity (e.g., a V2X device)to request and receive other security assets (e.g., pseudonym and/orapplication certificates) from a Security Credential Management System(SCMS). Unlike traditional X.509 certificates, the V2X enrollmentcertificates and pseudonym certificates do not carry the identity oftheir corresponding end entity within them; thus, an external observercannot link their use with a particular vehicle or device. Additionally,the security assets used in the V2X devices are periodically changedduring the devices' operational lives.

During manufacturing of V2X devices, the security asset provisioningprocess may occur at different locations (and therefore at differenttimes), and the locations may or may not belong to different companies(e.g., third party contract manufacturers, different tenants, customers,or subscribers of an SCMS). For example, an initial security assetprovisioning process may occur to facilitate manufacturing requirements,to comply with government regulation, etc. For instance, a Tier-1manufacturer of a V2X device may provision its OBUs with enrollmentcertificates, and, after the units are installed in vehicles at anoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM), the pseudonym certificates andother data may then be provisioned to create fully operational OBUs.

The fact that the security asset provisioning process may occur atdifferent locations can create challenges that previous systems did nothave the technical capacity to address.

For example, in order to provision security assets at differentlocations, some systems could allow the security assets to becommunicated between locations. However, this can cause time delaysduring manufacturing because certificates would need to be firstrequested and then communicated before they can be installed.

Additionally, unlike traditional X.509 certificates, V2X enrollmentcertificates and pseudonym certificates do not carry the identity oftheir corresponding end entity within them; therefore, there areadditional challenges in matching the correct security assets to thecorrect V2X devices, particularly, when the security assets areprovisioned at different locations.

Further, with traditional SCMSs, each SCMS is configured to deliverspecific OBU/RSU information (e.g., configuration information) alongwith the correct security assets to the V2X devices. Accordingly, atraditional SCMS can only be used by one specific entity (e.g., tenantor client of the SCMS) if that entity wants to provide custominformation. Thus, every entity that provides custom information wouldrequire its own customized SCMS, which can be costly and does not scalewell.

As described herein, a multi-stage provisioning and multi-tenant secureprovisioning system that includes a CMP, an SMS, and a SCMS with virtualregistration authorities (collectively, an “enhanced SCMS”) can addressthe technical problems described above.

An enhanced SCMS can be used by multiple entities (e.g., multipletenants, clients, customers and subscribers), can provide uniqueconfiguration capabilities to each entity, and can provide entity-uniqueupdates to deployed computerized devices (e.g., V2X or C2X devices).Example entities can be Tier-1 manufacturers (entities that manufactureV2X or C2X devices), OEMs (entities that provide devices to consumersand/or combine multiple V2X or C2X devices into a larger product (e.g.,a vehicle)), and traffic management centers (entities that manage RSUs).In various implementations, an entity can also be a combination of aTier-1 manufacturer, an OEM, and/or a traffic management center.

According to various implementations, an enhanced SCMS has the abilityto provide multi-tenant operations by, at enrollment time, linking acomputerized device to a specific tenant (e.g., client, customer,subscriber) or deployment.

As described herein, an enhanced SCMS can provide multi-stageprovisioning of security assets by providing enrollment certificates toV2X devices during a first stage of the provisioning via a CMP, and thenperforming additional stages of the provisioning after identification ofthe devices via the CMP.

In various implementations, the enhanced SCMS can store information foridentifying devices at later stages in an SMS database, and can furtherassociate each device with the end entity that provisions the device, asdescribed in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 4-6.Additionally, after enrollment certificates are provisioned on a device,the device can be associated with a status indicating that it isinitially provisioned.

For example, enrollment certificates can be provisioned on a device atthe manufacturing stage of the device (e.g., by the Tier-1manufacturer). At this stage, the enhanced SCMS can request a deviceidentifier (e.g., a numeric or alphanumeric code, a serial number of thedevice's microprocessor, etc.), and may not provision the enrollmentcertificates until a device identifier is received. When the deviceidentifier is received, the enhanced SCMS can store the deviceidentifier that was received and associate the device identifier withthe enrollment certificates that were provisioned for the device and/orwith the end entity that provisioned the device.

In certain implementations, aftermarket devices can be included in theSMS database even if enrollment certificates are already provisioned onthe device. As described herein, aftermarket devices can be devices thatare not manufactured by a Tier-1 manufacturer and/or are manufactured byan entity that does not use the enhanced SCMS. When an aftermarketdevice is added to the SMS database, the aftermarket device can beassociated with a status indicating that it is ready to be provisionedby the enhanced SCMS.

In some implementations, the enhanced SCMS may be able to identify atype of device and/or capabilities of the device. For example, the typeof device can be determined by a device identifier and/or viacommunications with the end entity provisioning the security assets onthe device. In various implementations, the type of device can be usedto, for example, determine compatible security assets to provision,determine the number of security assets to provision, etc.

For instance, some devices may have more physical security than otherdevices. Devices with more physical security may be less likely to bestolen or otherwise compromised. Thus, a larger number of certificatesmay be provisioned on a device that is more physically secure because itis less likely that the security assets will be disclosed if the devicebecomes compromised. Also, a smaller number of certificates may bebeneficial for less physical secure devices because when the deviceexhausts the provisioned security assets it can contact the enhancedSCMS to “top-off” (i.e., obtain more) security assets. If fewer securityassets are provisioned then the device will top-off more often. Thus, ifa device is compromised, it can be shut down, located, or otherwiseattended to when it contacts the enhanced SCMS to “top-off.”Accordingly, the more often the device tops-off, the more chances thereare to attend to devices that are more likely to be compromised.

In some implementations, a second stage of provisioning for a V2X devicecan occur when pseudonym and/or application certificates are provisionedon the V2X device at the OEM (e.g., after being combined with otherdevices in a vehicle). At this stage, a device identifier can bereceived from the V2X device, and an enhanced SCMS can use the deviceidentifier to identify the V2X device and then provision the pseudonymand application certificates based on the device that is identified(e.g., based on the enrollment certificates that were previouslyprovisioned, based on a level of physical security for the device,etc.). In some implementations, in addition to the device identifier, anenhanced SCMS can also retrieve other data from a third party, such astest data indicating that the device was properly installed. Based onthe device identifier and confirmation of correct installation, theenhanced SCMS can then provision the pseudonym and/or applicationcertificates.

As additionally described herein, an enhanced SCMS can providemulti-tenant operations by providing an SMS (alternatively, an entitymanagement system) for tenants (e.g., end entities) and by managinglocal policy files (LPFs) containing information unique to each endentity within a V2X ecosystem. For example, customized workflows can becreated and customized configurations can be managed by the end entitiesvia the subscriber management system (SMS, also referred to herein as anentity management system). The SMS is operable to manage tenants andinformation related to the tenants, some of which may be sent to thetenant's OBUs, RSUs, and TMC devices.

In certain implementations, configuration information for each tenant ofa plurality of tenants can be stored as elements or data fields in anLPF for that tenant. That is, an LPF stores tenant-specific data. Forexample, an LPF stores information related to types or classes ofcomputerized devices associated with a tenant, but does not storeinformation for specific end-entities or specific computerized devicesthat need certificates. For instance, the elements can includeinformation such as, but not limited to, an initial provisioning amount(e.g., an amount of certificates to initially provision to the tenant'sdevices), cryptographic keys and certificates, linkage authorities(i.e., information identifying linkage authorities to be used by thetenant), and an indication of dedicated hardware to be used to provide abackend Quality of Service (QoS) level to the tenant. In variousimplementations, an initial provisioning amount indicated in an LPF fora tenant can be indicated in terms of numbers of certain types ofcertificates (e.g., 10,000 pseudonym certificates) or in terms ofduration (e.g., a 6 month supply of certificates).

According to some implementations, an LPF for a given tenant stores oneor more of a duration of validity for certificates (e.g., a certificatevalidity period), a number of certificates the entity is allowed topossess, an overlap time period for certificates, an amount of timecertificates will be valid for in the future (e.g., for initialprovisioning, how far in the future certificates will be valid), and anindication of when the tenant will need to request a certificate top-off(e.g., how far into using certificates the end-entity will wait beforerequesting additional certificates).

The customized workflows and customized configurations can be used tocustomize LPFs, and the LPFs can be transmitted to the V2X devices tocustomize the operations and/or configurations of the V2X devices. Forexample, a customized workflow and/or customized configuration candetermine what information should be received and stored and how toprovision a security asset (e.g., which registration authority to use,custom information to add to the security asset, custom quantities ofsecurity assets to provision on a device, etc.).

In various implementations, LPFs can be installed on computerizeddevices needing certificates, such as, for example, the V2X devices.This can allow the end entities to customize processes performed by theV2X devices and/or to provide customized interfaces for the V2X devices.For example, an LPF can instruct a V2X device to contact a specificentity's server (e.g., via a custom Uniform Resource Locator (URL))and/or a specific SCMS. As a further example, an LPF can cause a V2Xdevice to download limited amounts of security assets or define thelifetime of certificates downloaded by the V2X device (e.g., 1 weekinstead of 3 years).

In some implementations, an LPF can also include customized workflowsand/or customized configurations based on a type of device that isprovisioned with security assets. For example, using the entitymanagement system, an end entity can specify the number of securityassets to provision on various types of devices, the customizedconfiguration can be stored in an LPF for the entity, and when thedevice requests security assets the LPF can be used to determine thenumber of security assets to provision.

Additional features that can be performed by an enhanced SCMS include,for example: providing a virtual registration authority that can becontacted by V2X devices; creating custom accounts for each end entityat the SCMS; creating new V2X device types at the SCMS; verifying devicetypes as Department of Transportation (DOT) or other authorizing bodyapproved; acquiring enrollment or other types of public keys (e.g.,signature/encryption keys, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) butterflykey expansion values, etc.); returning public keys, LPFs, and LocalCertificate Chain Files (LCCFs) for aftermarket devices, returningregistration authority URLs for final programming of fielded devices,tracking devices based on device identifiers, provisioning aftermarketdevices, etc. In various implementations, an LCCF can be a binaryencoded array of certificates that is created by a registrationauthority for publication to its end entity.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example of a method performed in asecure provisioning system, consistent with disclosed implementations.The example method can begin at 100 when a custom account is created foran entity at an entity management system of an enhanced SCMS.Additionally, in some implementations, for the purposes of the exampledescribed with regard to FIG. 1, the end entity can be a Tier-1manufacturer of a V2X device.

In some implementations, the enhanced SCMS can create an account for theend entity based on receiving a request from the end entity. The requestto create the account can include, for example, an identifier of the endentity, information about the end entity, a type of the end entity(e.g., a Tier-1 manufacturer), a security asset associated with the endentity, etc.

In 110, the enhanced SCMS can register a device type at a CMP of theenhanced SCMS. For example, a request to register a device type can bereceived from an end entity via their account or can be received from anadministrator of the enhanced SCMS. In some implementations, the requestto register the device type can include an identifier of the device typeor a security asset associated with the device type. The enhanced SCMScan register the device type by storing the identifier of the devicetype in, for example, an SMS database.

In 120, the enhanced SCMS can verify whether the device type is approvedby an authorizing body (e.g., the DOT). For example, the SCMS cantransmit the identifier and/or security asset to a server associatedwith the authorizing body to request verification and/or can compare theidentifier and/or security asset to a list of approved device typesstored in the SMS database. The SCMS can then store an indication ofwhether the device type is verified, e.g., in the SMS database.

In 130, the SCMS can acquire public keys for a device (e.g., enrollmentcertificate public keys, signature keys, encryption keys, AES butterflykey expansion values, and the like) and acquire or generate anidentifier for the device. For example, the public keys can be receivedfrom the device or an end entity can access their account via an entitymanagement system and input the public keys and/or input the identifier.The public keys and/or identifier for the device can be stored in theSMS database.

In 140, based on the public keys acquired in 130, the enhanced SCMS canreturn enrollment certificates to the end entity to be provisioned onthe device and/or to the device itself. In some implementations, theenhanced SCMS may also return a registration authority URL and certainconfiguration data for final programming into the device. For example,the registration authority URL may be unique to the end entity and/orcustomized by the end entity (via the entity management system). As afurther example, the registration authority associated with the URL canbe a virtual registration authority associated with an SCMS of theenhanced SCMS.

In various implementations, the enhanced SCMS receives public keys fromthe computerized device that needs certificates. For example, theenhanced SCMS may receive only an enrollment public key or the enhancedSCMS may receive the enrollment public key and otherapplication/pseudonym public keys. The enhanced SCMS may return only anenrollment certificate (with the other data like LPF) or the enhancedSCMS may return application/pseudonym certificates as well, depending onthe supplied public key(s) received from the device. In certainimplementations where the computerized device is an aftermarket device,the enhanced SCMS may receive public keys for the aftermarket device,and may return public keys, an LPF, an LCCF, and other data to theaftermarket device. According to certain implementations, the downloadof an LPF and LCCF for a computerized device are accomplished throughRepresentational State Transfer (REST) service calls and do not includean enrollment certificate (e.g., a signed message). For all other RESTservice calls, an SCMS host of the enhanced SCMS can perform a lookup toverify that a specific enrollment certificate for a device is owned byor associated with a certain tenant. That is, a cryptographic validationcan be made for these service calls to ensure they are allowed. For LPFand LCCF downloads, the tenant identifier (ID) in a URL, route, HTTPheader, or other mechanisms is used to determine which file to provideto the computerized device. The LCCF can be consistent for all tenantsof the enhanced SCMS (i.e., all certificates included), but the LPF maybe different per tenant. For other service calls, a strong cryptographiclink ensures that the computerized device and certificate management issecurely managed, even though a single registration authority (e.g., avirtual registration authority) or a single set of SCMS backendcomponents is handling different policies.

In 150, the enhanced SCMS can set the state of the device to initiallyprovisioned or to provisioned if the device is an aftermarket device(e.g., in the SMS database) and can track the device for when the deviceis further provisioned by an OEM or traffic management center at asubsequent stage of the provisioning, as described below with regard toFIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example of a method performed in asecure provisioning system, consistent with disclosed implementations.The example method can begin at 200 when a custom account is created foran end entity at the enhanced SCMS. In various implementations, thecustom account can be created and/or managed via an entity managementsystem of the enhanced SCMS. Additionally, in some implementations, forthe purposes of the example described with regard to FIG. 2, the entitycan be an OEM or a traffic management center that operates a V2X deviceand/or operates a product that incorporates one or more V2X devices. Inother implementations, the entity can be a Tier-1 manufacturer of theV2X device when the Tier-1 manufacturer ships partially or fullyprovisioned devices to OEMs. The end entity may also be the USDOT orother approval body and used to create and manage a database of approveddevices that may be issued certificates.

In some implementations, the enhanced SCMS can create an account for theend entity based on receiving a request from the end entity. The requestto create the account can include, for example, an identifier of the endentity, information about the end entity, a type of the end entity(e.g., an OEM or a traffic management center), a security assetassociated with the end entity, etc.

In some implementations, creating an account for the end entity caninclude generating one or more default LPFs for the entity. For example,different default LPFs can be associated with different device types.

In 210, the enhanced SCMS can receive a request to configure an LPF. Forexample, the request to configure the LPF can be a request to configurea workflow for a particular device type, a request to set a URL of aregistration authority, a request to change or set geographicrestrictions (e.g., geographic coordinates where an RSU can operate), arequest to configure a top-off policy (e.g., change a number of securityassets to provision, set the types of authorized security assets, etc.),and the like. In some implementations, a top-off policy can be used todetermine how to respond to a top-off request, as described with regardto FIG. 3 below. In further implementations, a top-off policy can be setbased on a device type, based on application certificates associatedwith a device, and/or based on a location of the device.

In 220, the SCMS can receive a hash of an enrollment certificate or thehash of the initial certificate request from a V2X device via the CMPand an identifier of the V2X device. In some implementations, the hashand identifier can be received via the account created for the endentity in 200.

In some implementations, the enrollment certificate can be an enrollmentcertificate that was returned to the device by the enhanced SCMS in 140,described above. In other implementations, the device can be anaftermarket device, and the enrollment certificate may not have beenprovided by the enhanced SCMS.

In further implementations, if the device is an RSU, the SCMS canadditionally or alternatively receive a hash of an applicationcertificate with the identifier of the V2X device.

In some implementations, the identifier can be an identifier that wasreceived or generated by the enhanced SCMS in 140, described above, andthe enhanced SCMS can identify the V2X device and/or a type the V2Xdevice based on the identifier of the V2X device.

In 230, the enhanced SCMS can return a public key bundle, an LPF, and anLCCF to the device. In some implementations, the information returned tothe device can be determined based on identifying the device in 220. Forexample, the LPF that is returned can correspond to an LPF for thedevice type selected and/or customized by the end entity associated withthe V2X device. Based on returning the information to the V2X device,the enhanced SCMS can set a state of the device to provisioned orpartially provisioned. In various implementations, a device state ofprovisioned indicates that the device has its enrollment certificatepseudonym/application certificates, and other files, such as, forexample, an LPF and an LCCF. A device state of partially provisioned canbe used to indicate that a computerized device only has some of thisdata. In some implementations, the enhanced SCMS may keep a count of thenumber of provisioned devices associated with the enhanced SCMS and/orwith each end entity and may update the count based on setting the stateof the device to provisioned. For example, the enhanced SCMS can use thenumber of provisioned devices to confirm that the number of provisioneddevices does not exceed a predetermined size of a production run. Thus,the enhanced SCMS can verify that there is no unauthorizedoverproduction.

In 240, the enhanced SCMS can receive a request to manage a deployeddevice. In some implementations, the request to manage a deployed devicecan be a request to configure an LPF after the device is deployed. Forexample, the request to configure the LPF can be a request to change orset geographic restrictions, a request to change a number of securityassets to provision, etc. After the LPF is updated, the enhanced SCMScan transmit the updated LPF to the appropriate device when the devicenext contacts the enhanced SCMS. For example, the device may contact theenhanced SCMS to request a top-off of security assets, as described withregard to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting an example of a method performed in asecure provisioning system, consistent with disclosed implementations.The example method can begin at 300 when a hash of a pseudonymcertificate is received at the enhanced SCMS. In variousimplementations, the hash of the pseudonym certificate can be receivedfrom a V2X device that was provisioned via the enhanced SCMS or from anaftermarket V2X device that was not provisioned via the enhanced SCMS.

In some implementations, the hash of the pseudonym certificate can beincluded as part of a request to top-off security assets at the V2Xdevice.

In further implementations, a Content Delivery Network (see, e.g., thecontent delivery network 412 of FIG. 4, discussed below) can beassociated with the secure provisioning system. The Content DeliveryNetwork can include a distributed network of devices that can storeand/or obtain security assets, and can allow V2X devices to top-offsecurity assets from devices that are closer in physical proximity tothe V2X devices (e.g., to reduce network latency).

In 310, the enhanced SCMS can verify whether the device is authorized.For example, the enhanced SCMS can access information associated with anaccount of an end entity associated with the V2X device to determinewhether the device is authorized and has an active status. As shown inFIG. 3, 310 can verify that a computerized device is authorized. In 310,if a computerized device is not authorized (e.g., stolen, misbehaving,inactive, etc.) that device will be denied top off. Verification of thedevice being authorized in 310 ensures the security intent of proper andauthorized operation of the computerized device in the ecosystem. Theenhanced SCMS will not provide certificates to unauthorized devices.Devices may be unauthorized due to payment failure, compromise, arevoked status, etc.

In various implementations, the end entity may be able to change thestatus of V2X devices associated with the end entity between active andinactive. For example, if a V2X device is reported as stolen orotherwise compromised, the end entity may change the status of the V2Xdevice from active to inactive.

If, in 320, the V2X device is verified as active, the enhanced SCMS canprovide a top-off of security assets in 330. In some implementations,the SCMS can provide a top-off of security assets based on a top-offpolicy set by the end entity associated with the V2X device. Forexample, the end-entity may specify the number of security assets toprovision on the V2X device and/or specify which type of security assetsare authorized to be provisioned on the V2X device, as described above.Additionally, in some implementations, the enhanced SCMS can provide anupdated LPF to the V2X device, if appropriate. In furtherimplementations, the enhanced SCMS can instruct the V2X device toretrieve the top-off of security assets via a Content Delivery Networkby determining a device that is physically closer to the V2X device, andinstructing the V2X device to retrieve the top-off from that closerdevice.

If, in 320, the V2X device is not verified as active, the enhanced SCMSmay not provide a top-off of security assets in 340, but, instead, canfollow a custom non-verified workflow set by the end entity associatedwith the device (e.g., via a CMP). For example, the enhanced SCMS maysend a shutdown request to the V2X device, may retrieve globalpositioning system (GPS) coordinates from the device, may provide anupdated LPF to the V2X device, etc.

In some implementations, the features described herein can preventunauthorized provisioning or incorrect provisioning of V2X devices. Forinstance, public safety vehicles may have unique capabilities in the V2Xecosystem to control intersection traffic signals. The above-describedfeatures can ensure that only public safety vehicles are issuedcertificates with these capabilities to maintain the overall correctoperation of the V2X ecosystem.

In further implementations, the enhanced SCMS may provide re-enrollmentfunctionality. In some instances, a fielded device may need to be resetto a factory “default” provision in which all the originally provisionedkeys and data are erased. To re-enroll such a device, the enhanced SCMScan use a multistage process to securely re-provision this device sothat re-enrollment of unauthorized devices is prevented. For example,the enhanced SCMS will establish a secure communications path to a knownend location such as an OEM's service bay. Mutually authenticatedTransport Layer Security could be used to establish such a securecommunications path. The enhanced SCMS can then request that thedevice's microprocessor serial number or other permanent identifier beretrieved from the device along with a new Enrollment Key CertificateSigning Request. The enhanced SCMS can then verify that it haspreviously provisioned a device with this permanent identifier. If theenhanced SCMS can verify this, then the enhanced SCMS will return anenrollment certificate with other device provisioning information suchas the LPF, etc. The enhanced CMS can retain a state record for thedevice indicating that it has been re-enrolled. The device can then useSCMS protocols to request a pseudonym/application certificate bundle.Based on the configuration settings in the enhanced SCMS, the SCMS willuse its flexible provisioning mechanism to download to the device onlywhat it is authorized to receive. This can allow the OEM and/or itsservice site to be queried to verify that the re-enrollment provisioningis authorized. This additional check may be performed if there is apossibly of rogue activity or if re-enrolling a high value entity (e.g.,a police car that has special capabilities to control intersectionsignal lights).

Although an example V2X system has been used to illustrate these newcapabilities, they may also be used with other IoT devices, such as, forexample, the European C-ITS Car to Car (C2C) and Car to Infrastructure(C2I, C2X) system, or intelligent medical devices.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an example of a secure provisioning system400, consistent with disclosed implementations. The secure provisioningsystem 400 can include an SCMS host 408 with virtual registrationauthorities, a CMS management portal (CMP) 402, a subscriber managementsystem (SMS) 404, a SMS database 406, one or more computerized devices410 in manufacturing, a content delivery network 412, and one or moredeployed devices 414. In some implementations, the SMS 404 functions asan entity management system for managing configuration information forsubscriber entities. In various implementations, the SMS 404 is operableto manage tenants and information related to the tenants, some of whichmay be sent to the tenant's OBUs, RSUs, and TMC devices. As shown inFIG. 4, the deployed devices 414 can include computerized devices withOBUs (e.g., vehicles with V2X or C2X devices) and/or one or more RSUs.In the example of FIG. 4, the CMP 402 can function as a subscriberportal. In certain implementations, the CMP 402 receive tenantinformation from a tenant (e.g., a client), and the CMP 402 then savesparameters from the tenant in an LPF. According to such implementations,a separate LPF is generated for each tenant, and the CMP 402 is used byeach tenant to configure their version of the secure provisioning system400 as they require. For example, a tenant can indicate parameters to bestored in the LPF that configure the duration of validity forcertificates (e.g., a certificate validity period), a number ofcertificates devices of the tenant are allowed to possess, an overlaptime period for the tenant's certificates, an amount of time thetenant's certificates will be valid for in the future (e.g., for initialprovisioning of the tenant's devices, how far in the future certificateswill be valid), and an indication of when the tenant will need torequest a certificate top-off (e.g., how far into using certificates theend-entity will wait before requesting additional certificates).

With continued reference to FIG. 4, the components of the secureprovisioning system 400 form an enhanced SCMS that can include the SMS404, the SCMS host 408 with virtual registration authorities, the CMP402, and the SMS database 406. In some implementations, each of the CMP402, the SMS 404 (e.g., an entity management system), the SMS database406, and the SCMS host 408 with the virtual registration authorities canbe separate devices, each including one or more processors, one or morecomputer-readable non-transitory media, and the like. In alternative oradditional implementations, two or more of the CMP 402, the SMS 404, theSMS database 406, and the SCMS host 408 with the virtual registrationauthorities can be combined into a single computing device. As shown inFIG. 4, components of the secure provisioning system 400 communicativelycoupled to other components of the secure provisioning system 400.

In various implementations, the SCMS host 408 with virtual registrationauthorities may provide security assets and validate hashes of securityassets as described above. In further implementations, the CMP 402 mayprovide interfaces for entities (e.g., tenants, subscribers, clients)and computerized devices (e.g., V2X or C2X devices) to communicate withan enhanced SCMS. For example, the CMP 402 can provide communicationsinterfaces that a plurality of tenants and computerized devices of theplurality of tenants can use to exchange communications with the SCMShost 408. Such communications can include, for example, provisioningrequests, HTTPS POST requests, request acknowledgements, requestresults, batch certificate downloads, and other messages. In additionalor alternative implementations, SMS 404 functions as an entitymanagement system that can store and/or manage accounts (e.g., accountinformation) of various entities (e.g., tenants, subscribers, clients,customers) that use the enhanced SCMS. In still further implementations,the SMS database 406 may store information for the enhanced SCMS. Forexample, the SMS database 406 can store information for identifyingcomputerized devices at later stages, and can further associate eachcomputerized device with an end entity (e.g., a tenant) that provisionsthe computerized device.

As further depicted in FIG. 4, the devices 410 in manufacturing mayrepresent V2X or C2X devices currently associated with a Tier-1manufacturer (as described above), and deployed vehicles and RSUs canrepresent devices currently associated with an OEM and/or a trafficmanagement center.

In the example implementation shown in FIG. 4, the content deliverynetwork 412 can be a component of or associated with the secureprovisioning system 400. The content delivery network 412 can include adistributed network of devices that can store and/or obtain securityassets, and can allow the deployed devices 414 to top-off securityassets from devices that are closer in physical proximity to thedeployed devices 414 (e.g., to reduce network latency). For example,deployed V2X devices can top-off certificates from nearby devices bycommunicating via the content delivery network 412.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting computerized devices 502, 504, 506corresponding to multiple tenants (e.g., tenant A, tenant B, and tenantN) of a secure provisioning system consistent with implementations ofthe invention. According to various implementations, an enhanced SCMShas the ability to provide multi-tenant operations by, at enrollmenttime, linking a computerized device to a specific tenant (e.g., client,customer, and subscriber) or deployment.

In the example of FIG. 5, there is a group of n tenants, and theenhanced SCMS can link device 502 to tenant A, can link device 504 totenant B, and can link device 506 to the last, nth tenant in the groupof n tenants (i.e., tenant n). As shown in FIG. 5, such linking ofdevices 502, 504, 506 to their corresponding tenants can be performed byparsing a respective network address, path, or URL that the devices 502,504, 506 use to access a registration authority in order to determinethe tenant identifier (tenant ID). In the example of FIG. 5, the URL 503includes a tenant ID of tenant A that is appended to the URL 503, theURL 505 includes a tenant ID of tenant B, and the URL 507 includes atenant ID of tenant n. These URLs 503, 505, 507 may be used by thecomputerized devices 502, 504, 506 to access a registration authority ofthe enhanced SCMS. In alternative or additional implementations, atenant ID for a tenant can be provided to the devices 502, 504, 506 atenrollment by including a tenant ID that is prepended or otherwiseindicated the URLs 503, 505, 507. In other alternative or additionalimplementations, the tenant ID for a tenant can be provided to a device(e.g., device 502) in a new file at enrollment time where the deviceadds the tenant ID to a new HTTP header element such as, for example, an‘SCMS tenant’ header element. According to various implementations,tenant information such as the tenant ID can be encrypted in a message,thus protecting the identity of a tenant associated with a given device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram depicting an example workflow 600 within a secureprovisioning system including a certificate management system (CMS)management portal (CMP) 602, an SMS 604, and an SMS database 606,consistent with implementations of the invention. According to variousimplementations, a tenant is registered via the CMP 602. Within the CMP602, a device owner (e.g., an owner of one of the devices 502, 504, 506discussed above with reference to FIG. 5) establishes an accountregisters devices, submits certifications for the devices, and is givena tenant ID by the CMP 602.

The example workflow 600 includes registering new customer information(e.g., tenant or subscriber information) with the CMP 602. The workflow600 also includes identifying a device of the tenant, target uses forthe device (e.g., intended uses of the tenant's computerized device),and the tenant providing certification documents. This information isthen submitted by the tenant to the CMP 602 for approval. Upon anout-of-band approval by the CMP 602, the tenant then receives agenerated tenant ID and account information. The tenant ID and thattenant's account information can be stored in the SMS database 606 andsubsequently retrieved from the SMS database 606 by the CMP 602 and theSMS 604 as needed.

In FIG. 6, the CMP 602 can be operable to receive and configure SLAdetails for a tenant. In some implementations, the CMP 602 can also beoperable to configure business requirement details for certaincustomization required by a tenant. For example, a tenant can indicateto the CMP 602 whether the tenant wants hardware separation forcertificate generation (see, e.g., the set of isolated and independentSCMS backend components 724 of FIG. 7, described below), cryptographicseparation for cryptographic computations, hardware security module(HSM) separation for sensitive computations, a unique certificate chainunder a certificate authority, expected usage per week, local policyparameters (e.g., from an LPF), and other SLA details for the tenant. Inthe workflow 600, the CMP 602 submits these SLA details to the SMSdatabase 606 for storage and then notifies the SMS 604 for contractualand billing services. In various implementations the SMS 604 isconfigured to manage tenants and information related to the tenants,some of which may be stored in the SMS database 606 and sent to thetenant's OBUs, RSUs, and TMC devices. Depending on the configuration andservice level for a new tenant, backend SCMS services can be created andhardware deployed for the new tenant, depending on the tenant's needsand SLA details. For instance, as shown in FIG. 7, described below, adedicated registration authority 721 and independent SCMS backendcomponents 724 can be deployed for a tenant N with a higher level ofservice than other tenants.

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an example operating environment 700 for asecure provisioning system configured to support multi-tenant operationsconsistent with implementations of the invention. As shown, theoperating environment 700 includes an SCMS host 708, computerizeddevices 702, 704, 706 associated with multiple tenants of a group of ntenants (e.g., tenants A, B, . . . N), registration authorities 720,721, and sets of SCMS backend components 722, 724.

In the example operating environment 700 a single SCMS host 708 is ahardware platform with a single IP address, where the SCMS host 708 isshared amongst the tenants of the group of n tenants. That is, the SCMShost 708 handles initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707 fromcomputerized devices 702, 704, 706. Some tenants, based on requiredservice levels and purchased tiers of service (e.g., as captured inservice level agreements (SLAs)), may choose to share SCMS backendcomponents. In the example of FIG. 7, tenants A and B have opted to usethe shared set of SCMS backend components 722. Alternatively, othertenants that require higher tiers of service or have greater needs forquickly provisioning larger numbers of certificates, can have SLAsgiving the tenants access to separate, dedicated SCMS backend componentsthat include separate hardware components (e.g., isolated andindependent hardware components dedicated to performing cryptographicoperations for a single tenant). In the example of FIG. 7, tenant N hasopted to use the set of isolated and independent SCMS backend components724. In certain implementations, parameters in respective LPFs fortenants A, B, . . . N can designate use of either the shared set of SCMSbackend components 722 or the set of isolated and independent SCMSbackend components 724.

As shown in FIG. 7, each of a plurality of computerized devices 702,704, 706 can submit respective initial provisioning requests 703, 705,707 to their configured registration authority, via the SCMS host 708,where the provisioning requests 703, 705, 707 indicate a respectivetenant ID. According to some implementations, the tenant IDs for tenantsA, B, . . . N can be included in route information that is submitted tothe SCMS host 708. That is, in the operating environment 700, each ofthe computerized devices 702, 704, 706 has been enrolled by a specifictenant (e.g., one of tenants A, B, . . . N) and in their respective,initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707, the tenants provide theirrespective tenant IDs. In various implementations, the tenant IDs can beprovided in a URL (e.g., as in the URLs 503, 505, 507 of FIG. 5), in aroute, in an HTTP header element (e.g., an ‘SCMS tenant’ element), or bysome other mechanism.

The SCMS host 708 is the single SCMS registration authority endpoint fora centralized service. The SCMS host 708 receives all requests,including the initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707, parses outthe tenant ID from the request and performs validation (e.g., todetermine correct tenant for an enrollment certificate). The SCMS host708 routes various requests to a virtual, shared registration authority720, or a dedicated registration authority 721. In variousimplementations, a tenant ID is added to every message transmittedwithin the operating environment 700 after the SCMS host 708 parses outthe tenant ID from the initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707. Inaccordance with some implementations, the tenant ID may be obfuscated insuch messages with a hash or by mapping the tenant ID to a universallyunique identifier (UUID). This mapping of the tenant IDs to theirrespective UUIDs can be stored in the SMS database 606 discussed abovewith reference to FIG. 6. Such obfuscation helps ensure privacy formessages transmitted via the virtual registration authority 720 that isshared between multiple tenants (e.g., tenants A and B). The tenant IDis then used in the operating environment 700 to determine which keys orwhich certificate chain to use. The tenant ID also allows theregistration authorities 720, 721 to determine what policy parameters toabide by for a particular request (e.g., one of the provisioningrequests 703, 705, 707).

In the operating environment 700, the SCMS host 708 can be anabstraction or virtual layer above the registration authorities 720,721. The SCMS host 708 parses tenant IDs from the initial provisioningrequests 703, 705, 707. From the perspective of the devices 702, 704,706 and devices external to the operating environment 700, there is oneSCMS URL that all tenants (e.g., clients) use to connect to the SCMShost 708. In this way, and by using the SCMS host 708 to parse tenantIDs from the initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707, the operatingenvironment 700 ensures that snooping cannot be used to determinewhether a particular one of the computerized devices 702, 704, 706 isowned by or associated with a specific tenant. This protects theidentity and privacy of tenants from anyone who may attempt to snoop onnetwork traffic passed to the operating environment 700.

In the operating environment 700, the SCMS host 708 can parse a tenantID from a route, URL, HTTP header, or other mechanism used for theinitial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707 and route the initialprovisioning requests 703, 705, 707 to the correct registrationauthority (e.g., shared registration authority 720 or dedicatedregistration authority 721). As shown in FIG. 7, the SCMS host 708parses tenant IDs for tenants A and B from initial provisioning requests703 and 705, and then routes those requests to registration authority720 based on the parsed tenant IDs. Similarly, the SCMS host 708 parsesa tenant ID for tenant N from initial provisioning request 707, and thenroutes that request to dedicated registration authority 721 based on theparsed tenant ID for tenant N. In alternative or additionalimplementations, there can be a single registration authority thatroutes requests with an embedded tenant ID in internal messagesexchanged between the SCMS host 708 and the single registrationauthority. In other alternative or additional implementations, there canbe a completely independent, internal virtual registration authoritycomponent that fields the initial provisioning requests 703, 705, 707and then routes the requests to the correct backend components.

In the example of FIG. 7, a set of shared SCMS backend components 722are components that are shared between tenants A and B. The shared setof SCMS backend components 722 include a shared pseudonym certificateauthority 740, a shared linkage authority 1 750, a shared linkageauthority 2 760, and a shared enrollment certificate authority 730 thatprovide certificates and linkage values to tenants A and B. As alsoshown in FIG. 7, a set of isolated and independent SCMS backendcomponents 724 are components that are dedicated to fulfillingcertificate request from a single tenant, tenant N. The set ofindependent set of SCMS backend components 724 include an independentpseudonym certificate authority 741, an independent linkage authority 1751, an independent linkage authority 2 761, and an independentenrollment certificate authority 731 that provide certificates andlinkage values exclusively to tenant N. In the example of FIG. 7, tenantN has a higher level of service (e.g., a higher service tier or priorityof service) than tenants A and B, and as a result, tenant N is servicedby independent set of SCMS backend components 724. In certainimplementations, a service tier is associated with each tenant of thegroup of n tenants, and each tenant's service tier corresponds to one ofa plurality of tiers ranging from a lowest service level to a highestservice level.

In certain implementations, the dedicated registration authority 721 canalso use the shared SCMS backend components 722. That is,implementations can create the dedicated registration authority 721 fortenant N that gives tenant N a unique interface, but the shared SCMSbackend components 722 used by tenant N may be shared with other tenants(e.g., tenants A and B). In alternative or additional implementations,the dedicated registration authority 721 can access different sets ofshared SCMS backend components 722 depending on product type(s) ofcomputerized devices of a tenant that need certificates. That is, anOBUs of a given tenant may use one set of shared SCMS backend components722 and RSUs for that tenant could use another set of shared SCMSbackend components 722.

According to some implementations, a higher service tier can give tenantN access to the dedicated registration authority 721 that is not sharedor used by other tenants. In one such implementation, the dedicatedregistration authority 721 can be created and configured for tenant Nbased on that tenant's higher service tier so that the dedicatedregistration authority 721 gives tenant N a unique interface. In someimplementations, tenant N with a higher service tier is given access toisolated and independent backend SCMS components 724 that are not sharedwith other tenants. In additional or alternative implementations,another tenant with a higher service tier and a dedicated registrationauthority can access different shared SCMS backend components 722,depending on product type for that tenant's devices that needcertificates. That is, an OBU device for a tenant may use one of theshared SCMS backend components 722 and an RSU device could use othershared SCMS backend components 722.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are together a swim-lane diagram illustrating an exampleprocess 800 for securely providing credentials such as certificates,consistent with implementations of the invention. In the process 800, avirtual registration authority is used to provide certificates tomultiple tenants.

In particular, the example process 800 illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8Bincludes exchanges of requests and responses between enhanced SCMScomponents in order to provide certificates to V2X devices, such asdevice 810. However, implementations described herein are not limited tomulti-tenant operations for V2X devices, and the disclosed principlescan be applied to other types of computerized devices andcomputer-controlled devices, such as C2X devices. That is, the enhancedSCMS may function as a V2X or C2X certificate management service. Theexample process 800 depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B provides certificates toV2X devices in a multi-tenant environment. That is, FIGS. 8A and 8Bdepict components of an example enhanced SCMS in the context of the V2Xflow of requests and responses.

In various implementations, some or all of the process 800 or theoperations shown may be performed by code executing on a computingsystem (which may include one or more processors or one or morecomputing subsystems), by a hardware-only system, or by a system that isa hybrid of the two. As shown across the top of FIGS. 8A and 8B, theentities involved with the process 800 include a device 810, an SCMShost 808, a virtual registration authority 820, linkage authorities 850,860, and a pseudonym certificate authority 840. In variousimplementations, these entities may communicate with each other to carryout tasks as part of the process 800 for providing certificates, asdescribed below with respect to FIGS. 8A and 8B and throughout thisdisclosure. In some implementations, the device 810 may be a V2X devicelocated at a manufacturer (not shown).

In certain implementations, the SCMS host 808 may host the virtualregistration authority 820. The process 800 can be performed by anenhanced SCMS communicates with devices (e.g., device 810) that submitprovisioning requests.

The enhanced SCMS includes the virtual registration authority 820, oneor more linkage authorities 850, 860, and the pseudonym certificateauthority 840. An example CMS may include one or more applicationplatforms that run an application for the virtual registration authority820. These application platforms are communicatively connected to one ormore compute engines that perform cryptographic computations required bythe virtual registration authority 820. The one or more applicationplatforms may include one or more virtual machines (VMs) or one or morehardware platforms (e.g., servers, computers, or other computer hardwarecapable of hosting and executing a software application). The enhancedSCMS may also include one or more VMs that run an enrollment certificateauthority (not shown) and that are communicatively connected to one ormore compute engines that perform cryptographic computations required bythe enrollment certificate authority. The enrollment certificateauthority is operable to generate and conditionally transmit enrollmentcertificates to the virtual registration authority 820. The example CMShost that hosts the virtual registration authority 820 of FIGS. 8A and8B may further include one or more VMs that run an application for thepseudonym certificate authority 840 and that are communicativelyconnected to one or more compute engines that perform cryptographiccomputations required by the pseudonym certificate authority 840. Thepseudonym certificate authority 840 is operable to generate andconditionally transmit pseudonym certificates to the virtualregistration authority 820. The enhanced SCMS may also include one ormore VMs that run first and second linkage authorities 850, 860 and thatare communicatively connected to one or more compute engines thatperform cryptographic computations required by the first and secondlinkage authorities 850, 860. Respective applications for the firstlinkage authority 850 and the second linkage authority 860 may beoperable to generate and conditionally transmit linkage values to thevirtual registration authority 820.

The enhanced SCMS that includes the virtual registration authority 820shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B can also include one or more applicationplatforms that run an application for the virtual registration authority820 and that are communicatively connected to one or more computeengines that perform cryptographic computations required by the virtualregistration authority 820. The enhanced SCMS can additionally includeone or more application platforms that run an application for theenrollment certificate authority and that are communicatively connectedto one or more compute engines that perform cryptographic computationsrequired by the enrollment certificate authority, which may be operableto generate and conditionally transmit enrollment certificates to thevirtual registration authority 820. The enhanced SCMS can furtherinclude one or more application platforms that run an application forthe pseudonym certificate authority 840 and that are communicativelyconnected to one or more compute engines that perform cryptographiccomputations required by the pseudonym certificate authority 840, whichmay be operable to generate and conditionally transmit pseudonymcertificates to the virtual registration authority 820. In addition, theenhanced SCMS can include one or more application platforms that run anapplication for the first linkage authority 850 and that arecommunicatively connected to one or more compute engines that performcryptographic computations required by the first linkage authority 850.Lastly, the enhanced SCMS can also include one or more applicationplatforms that run an application for the second linkage authority 860and that are communicatively connected to one or more compute enginesthat perform cryptographic computations required by the second linkageauthority 860. The linkage authorities 850, 860 may be operable togenerate and conditionally transmit linkage values to the virtualregistration authority 820.

In still other implementations, the enrollment certificate authority maybe operable to generate enrollment certificates in response to receivingrequests for enrollment certificates from the virtual registrationauthority 820; the pseudonym certificate authority 840 may be operableto generate pseudonym certificates in response to receiving requests forpseudonym certificates from the virtual registration authority 820; andthe first linkage authority 850 and the second linkage authority 860 maybe operable to generate linkage values in response to receiving requestsfor linkage values from the virtual registration authority 820. Inalternative or additional implementations, the enrollment certificateauthority may be operable to generate enrollment certificates inresponse to receiving requests directly from computerized devices. Thatis, there are multiple ways to get certificates and the example process800 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is just one example method.

As shown in the example of FIG. 8A, the process 800 begins withoperation 805 where the device 810 (e.g., an end entity V2X device)submits an initial provisioning request for pseudonym certificates tothe SCMS host 808. As shown, 805 can include the device 810 submittingan HTTPS POST command with a URL that includes a tenant ID for tenant A.In some implementations, the device 810 is provided with a URL atenrollment time, the initial provisioning request in operation 805 comesdirectly from the device 810, and as shown in FIG. 8A, the provisioningrequest can be an HTTPS POST command with that URL and port number ofthe virtual registration authority 820 with the route defined and atenant identifier (ID) embedded in the URL. This enables the SCMS host808 to identify the tenant and route the request to the correct virtualregistration authority 820 without having to change or reconfigure thedevice 810 or the process 800.

In some implementations, the provisioning requests can indicateconfiguration details for the tenant, application permissions needed(e.g., as indicated by Provider Service Identifier (PSID) values), andvalidity information for certificates. Such information can be passedvia a route or in an HTTPS header. For example, a key value pair for an‘SCMS tenant’ header element can include a value of ‘tenant A.’ Privacyof this information can be protected within a Transport Layer Security(TLS) handshake between the device 810 and the SCMS host 808.

In additional or alternative implementations, the provisioning requestcan be sent with Domain Name System (DNS) where two different URLs orroutes resolve to (e.g., point to) the same server or web page. That is,by using DNS, requests from two different tenants that indicate the twotenant's respective tenant IDs can have different routes or URLs, butthey will still both resolve to same enhances SCMS and same SCMS host808. In the V2X environment (e.g., as specified by CAMP) an enrollmentcertificate is required to contain the application permissions(identified by PSID values) and the geographic region for each RSU andOBU. An RSU or OBU device can only obtain application certificatesand/or pseudonym certificates that correspond to the PSID valuescontained in the enrollment certificate.

At operation 807, after the device 810 sends a provisioning request tothe SCMS host 808 with a URL for the virtual registration authority 820,the SCMS host 808 then parses the tenant ID (e.g., a UUID or otherunique identifier for tenant A) from the request so that the request canbe routed to the virtual registration authority 820 that handles thattenant. In this way, the process 800 can service multiple tenants with asingle SCMS host 808, and handle custom configurations. In the exampleof FIG. 8A, at operation 807, the SCMS host 808 parses the tenant ID fortenant A from the request. In certain implementations, the provisioningrequest includes metadata indicating the tenant ID for tenant A, wherethe tenant ID can be a hash, UUID, or other type of unique ID that doesnot reveal the identity of tenant.

Then, at 809, the SCMS host 808 validates the tenant against anenrollment certificate authority to determine if a separate enrollmentcertificate authority exists for the tenant. According to certainimplementations, downloads of an LPF and LCCF for the device 810 areaccomplished through Representational State Transfer (REST) servicecalls and do not include an enrollment certificate (e.g., a signedmessage). For all other REST service calls in the process 800, the SCMShost 808 can perform a lookup at operation 809 to verify that a specificenrollment certificate for the device 8 is owned by or associated with acertain tenant (e.g., tenant A in the example of FIG. 8A). Therefore, acryptographic validation can be made for these service calls to ensurethey are allowed. For LPF and LCCF downloads, the tenant ID for tenant Ain a URL (as shown in FIG. 8A), route, HTTP header, or other mechanismscan be used to determine which file to provide to the device 810. Thedownloaded LCCF can be consistent across all tenants (i.e., allcertificates included). However, the downloaded LPF may be different pertenant. For other service calls in the process 800, a strongcryptographic link can ensure that the device 810 and certificatemanagement is securely managed, even though a single registrationauthority (e.g., the virtual registration authority 820) or a single setof SCMS backend components (e.g., the set of shared SCMS backendcomponents 722 discussed above with reference to FIG. 7) is handlingdifferent policies.

A primary role of the enrollment certificate authority is to fulfillrequests, which can originate from the virtual registration authority820, to issue enrollment certificates to end-user devices, such as, forexample, the device 810. The enrollment certificate authority mayinteract directly with the SCMS host 808 in order to issue a requestedenrollment certificate to device 810. In additional or alternativeimplementations, the enrollment certificate authority can communicatedirectly with the device 810 that is operable to act as a proxy betweenthe enhanced SCMS and computerized devices needing enrollmentcertificates, with the computerized devices needing enrollmentcertificates, and with servers that act as proxies for clients thatrequest enrollment certificates. For example, the enrollment certificateauthority can communicate directly with a device 810 that is located ata manufacturer site (e.g., the manufacturer's factory). An enrollmentcertificate is a public key certificate that identifies its holder as anauthorized participant in an ecosystem in which all participants mustshare valid enrollment certificates, (such as, for example, the USDOTV2X ecosystem), and in which authorized participants are able to alsoreceive pseudonym certificates that enable communication and operationof a device 810 within the ecosystem (e.g., to enable communications andoperations between vehicles and roadside infrastructure in the exampleof the USDOT's V2X ecosystem).

In various implementations, the validation performed in operation 809may involve the SCMS host 808 decrypting and verifying the provisioningrequest, including signature verification, checking for revocationstatus of the device 810 that is the destination of the certificates(e.g., a computerized device) using a list of unapproved devices (e.g.,a blacklist), and determining whether the requestor (e.g., device 810)is allowed to request certificates from the SCMS host 808. For instance,operation 809 may include determining whether a user from a manufactureris an authorized user (e.g., part of a staff). In some implementations,the SCMS host 808 may also determine at 809 whether a computerizeddevice (e.g., a product) to receive certificates is approved for use. Insome instances, a list of approved devices (e.g., a whitelist) may beprovided by a regulator and used by a provisioning controller to makethis determination.

Next, at 811, the SCMS host 808 responds back to the device 810 with ageneral acknowledgment (ACK) message confirming the provisioning requesthas been received.

At 813, after the request for the certificates is verified, the SCMShost 808 initiates a provisioning request that includes the tenant IDfor tenant A. In the example of FIG. 8A, the tenant ID is embodied as aUUID.

At operations 815-822, the linkage authorities 850, 860 interactdirectly with the virtual registration authority 820 in order to fulfillrequests for linkage values. At 815, the provisioning request isreceived at the virtual registration authority 820, and the virtualregistration authority 820 transmits a request for a first set oflinkage values (LA1) to linkage authority 1 850.

At 816, in response to receiving the request for a first set of linkagevalues, the linkage authority 1 850 transmits the first set of linkagevalues to the virtual registration authority 820. The linkage authority1 850 can transmit the first set of linkage values that have beenpreviously generated (i.e., pre-generated linkage values), or thelinkage authority 1 850 can generate and then transmit the first set oflinkage values in cases where the values are not pre-generated. At 817,the first set of linkage values are received at the virtual registrationauthority 820. At 819, the virtual registration authority 820 transmitsa request for a second set of linkage values (LA2) to linkage authority2 860.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, at 821, in response to receiving the requestfor a second set of linkage values, the linkage authority 2 860transmits the second set of linkage values to the virtual registrationauthority 820. In various implementations, the linkage authority 2 860can transmit the second set of pre-generated linkage values, oralternatively, the linkage authority 2 860 can generate and transmit thesecond set of linkage values. At 822, the second set of linkage valuesare received at the virtual registration authority 820.

In certain implementations, the linkage authorities 850, 860 shown inFIGS. 8A and 8B can link the identity of the certificate requestor(i.e., a unique identifier of the certificate requestor's device), to anissued pseudonym certificate for revocation purposes. That is, thelinkage authority 1 850 and linkage authority 2 860 respectively providethe first and second set linkage values as unique identifiers of thecertificate requestor's device to a pseudonym certificate issued by thepseudonym certificate authority 840 as part of process 800. The linkageauthority 1 850 and linkage authority 2 860 receive requests for linkagevalues sent from the virtual registration authority 820 at operations815 and 819, and then provide the requested linkage values to thevirtual registration authority 820 at operations 816 and 821.

With continued reference to FIG. 8A, at 823, the SCMS host 808 examinespolicy parameters for tenant A, and depending on the policy parameters,generates a request for the correct amount of pseudonym certificatesfrom pseudonym certificate authority 840. In an example, operation 823may include the SCMS host 808 using the parsed tenant ID from operation807 to determine what policy parameters to abide by for the particularpseudonym certificate request. For instance, 823 may include retrievinglocal policy parameters for the device 810 from that device's LPF.

At 825, the virtual registration authority 820 transmits a request forthe pseudonym certificates to the pseudonym certificate authority 840.This request may be sent as a batch of pseudonym certificate generationrequests that are created by the virtual registration authority 820.

At 827, the request for the pseudonym certificates is received at thepseudonym certificate authority 840. In response to receiving therequest at 827, the pseudonym certificate authority 840 optionally usesinformation for tenant A to use a different certificate chain or key tosign certificates. At 827, the pseudonym certificate authority 840generates the requested pseudonym certificates and transmits thegenerated pseudonym certificates back to the virtual registrationauthority 820. At 829, the pseudonym certificates are received at thevirtual registration authority 820.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, at 831, the device 810 may send a request tothe SCMS host 808 to download a batch of certificates. As shown, therequest sent at operation 831 may be an HTTP POST request with a URLthat includes a tenant ID for tenant A.

At operation 833, the SCMS host 808 parses the tenant ID from the batchdownload request. Then, at 835, the SCMS host 808 validates the tenantagainst the enrollment certificate authority to determine if a separateenrollment certificate authority exists for the tenant.

Next, at 837, the SCMS host 808 ensures that a policy for tenant A isenforced. Operation 837 can include the SCMS host 808 using the parsedtenant ID from operation 833 to determine what policy parameters toabide by for the particular batch pseudonym certificate downloadrequest. For instance, 837 may include retrieving local policyparameters for the device 810 from that device's LPF. After ensuringthat the policy for tenant A is being enforced with respect to therequested batch of pseudonym certificates, control is passed tooperation 839.

At 839, when the pseudonym certificates are ready, the SCMS host 808transmits the downloaded file with pseudonym certificates to the device810. At 841, the device 810 receives the pseudonym certificates. At thispoint, the device 810 is provisioned with the pseudonym certificates andthe device 810 can use the pseudonym certificates, and the operationsfor provisioning the pseudonym certificates are completed.

In additional or alternative implementations, processes similar to theprocess 800 described above can be used to provide certificates to othercomputerized devices, such as, for example, C2X devices. For instance, aCMS with components similar to those shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B canprovide certificates to one or more On Board Unit (OBUs), ElectronicControl Unit (ECUs), Road-Side Units (RSUs), and TMC devices. Such OBUsand ECUs can be configured to be installed into vehicles, watercraft(e.g., boats), aircraft (e.g., airplanes and drones), spacecraft,medical devices, robots, wireless or wired communication modules, andIoT devices. Similarly, the RSUs can be installed into traffic controldevices (e.g., traffic signals), roadside content distribution systems,electronic tolling systems, electronic signage devices, and digitaldisplay devices (e.g., electronic billboards). A TMCD is operable to beinstalled in government (e.g., local, state or federal government)traffic management centers for use in digitally signing messages forbroadcast or display by RSUs.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example of a computing environment 901,which includes a computing system 900 that may be used for implementingsystems and methods consistent with implementations of the invention.Other components and/or arrangements may also be used. In someimplementations, computing system 900 may be used to implement, at leastpartially, various components of FIGS. 1-8, such as the device 810, thevirtual registration authority 820, the SCMS host 808, the linkageauthorities 850, 860, and the pseudonym certificate authority 840 ofFIGS. 8A and 8B, the components of the secure provisioning system 400 ofFIG. 4, and the components of the operating environment 700 of FIG. 7.For example, computing system 900 may be used to implement, at leastpartially, the SCMS host 408 with virtual registration authorities, theCMPs 402, 602, the SMSs 404, 604, and the SMS databases 406, 606 ofFIGS. 4 and 6, among other things. Also, for example, computing system900 may be used to implement, at least partially, the SCMS host 708,registration authorities 720, 721, and the SCMS backend components 722,724, of FIG. 7, among other things. In some implementations, a series ofcomputing systems similar to computing system 900 may be each customizedwith specialized hardware and/or programmed as a specialized server toimplement one of the components of FIGS. 1-8, which may communicate witheach other via a network 935.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the computing system 900 includes anumber of components, such as a CPU 905, a memory 910, an input/output(I/O) device(s) 925, a hardware security module (HSM) 940, and anonvolatile storage device 920. System 900 can be implemented in variousways. For example, an implementation as an integrated platform (such asa server, workstation, personal computer, laptop, etc.) may comprise aCPU 905, a memory 910, a nonvolatile storage 920, and I/O devices 925.In such a configuration, the components 905, 910, 920, and 925 mayconnect and communicate through a local data bus and may access a datarepository 930 (implemented, for example, as a separate data source ordatabase system) via an external I/O connection. The I/O component(s)925 may connect to external devices through a direct communication link(e.g., a hardwired or local WiFi connection), through a network, such asa local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN, such as acellular telephone network or the Internet), and/or through othersuitable connections. System 900 may be standalone or it may be asubsystem of a larger system.

The CPU 905 may be one or more known processor or processing devices,such as a microprocessor from the Core™ family manufactured by theIntel™ Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. or a microprocessor from theAthlon™ family manufactured by the AMD™ Corporation of Sunnyvale, Calif.CPU 905 could also be an ARM CPU or a proprietary CPU. The memory 910may be one or more fast storage devices configured to store instructionsand information executed or used by the CPU 905 to perform certainfunctions, methods, and processes related to implementations of thepresent invention. The storage 920 may be a volatile or non-volatile,magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, or other type of storage deviceor computer-readable medium, including devices such as CDs and DVDs andsolid state devices, meant for long-term storage.

In the illustrated implementation, the memory 910 contains one or moreprograms or applications 915 loaded from the storage 920 or from aremote system (not shown) that, when executed by the CPU 905, performvarious operations, procedures, processes, or methods consistent withthe present invention. Alternatively, the CPU 905 may execute one ormore programs located remotely from the computing system 900. Forexample, the computing system 900 may access one or more remote programsvia the network 935 that, when executed, perform functions and processesrelated to implementations of the present invention.

In certain implementations, the memory 910 may include a program(s) 915for performing the specialized functions and operations described hereinfor the SCMS host 408 with virtual registration authorities, the CMPs402, 602, the SMSs 404, 604, the SCMS host 708, registration authorities720, 721, the sets of SCMS backend components 722, 724, the device 810,the virtual registration authority 820, the SCMS host 808, the linkageauthorities 850, 860, and the pseudonym certificate authority 840 ofFIGS. 4, 6, 7, 8A and 8B. In some implementations, the memory 910 mayalso include other programs or applications that implement other methodsand processes that provide ancillary functionality to the invention.

The memory 910 may be also be configured with other programs (not shown)unrelated to the invention and/or an operating system (not shown) thatperforms several functions well known in the art when executed by theCPU 905. By way of example, the operating system may be MicrosoftWindows™, Unix™, Linux™, an Apple Computers™ operating system, or otheroperating system, including real time operating systems. The choice ofoperating system, and even to the use of an operating system, is notcritical to the invention.

The HSM 940 may be a device with its own processor that securelygenerates and stores digital security assets and/or securely performs avariety of cryptographic and sensitive computations. The HSM 940protects digital security assets, such as cryptographic keys, and othersensitive data from possible access by an attacker. In someimplementations, the HSM may be a plug-in card or board that attachesdirectly to the computing system 900.

The I/O device(s) 925 may comprise one or more input/output devices thatallow data to be received and/or transmitted by the computing system900. For example, the I/O device 925 may include one or more inputdevices, such as a keyboard, touch screen, mouse, and the like, thatenable data to be input from a user. Further, the I/O device 925 mayinclude one or more output devices, such as a display screen, a CRTmonitor, an LCD monitor, a plasma display, a printer, speaker devices,and the like, that enable data to be output or presented to a user. TheI/O device 925 may also include one or more digital and/or analogcommunication input/output devices that allow the computing system 900to communicate, for example, digitally, with other machines and devices.Other configurations and/or numbers of input and/or output devices maybe incorporated in the I/O device 925.

In the implementation shown, the computing system 900 is connected to anetwork 935 (such as the Internet, a private network, a virtual privatenetwork, a cellular network or other network or combination of these),which may in turn be connected to various systems and computingmachines, such as servers, personal computers, laptop computers, clientdevices, etc. In general, the computing system 900 may input data fromexternal machines and devices and output data to external machines anddevices via the network 935.

In the exemplary implementation shown in FIG. 9, the repository 930 is astandalone data source external to system 900, such as a database. Inother implementations, the repository 930 may be hosted by the computingsystem 900. In various implementations, the repository 930 may manageand store data used to implement systems and methods consistent with theinvention. For example, the repository 930 may be used to implement theSMS databases 406, 606, of FIGS. 4 and 6 and the LPFs and LCCFsdescribed herein. In some implementations, the repository 930 may manageand store data structures that contain the status and log informationfor each computerized device that has certificates provisioned by thesecure provisioning system 400 of FIG. 4, and the like.

The repository 930 may comprise one or more databases that storeinformation and are accessed and/or managed through the computing system900. By way of example, the repository 930 may be an Oracle™ database, aSybase™ database, other relational databases, or non-relationaldatabases. Systems and methods consistent with the invention, however,are not limited to separate data structures or databases, or even to theuse of a database or data structure.

One of ordinary skill will recognize that the components andimplementation details of the system in FIG. 9 are examples presentedfor conciseness and clarity of explanation. Other components andimplementation details may be used.

Although the foregoing examples use specific examples of computerizeddevices, such a OBUs, ECUs, and RSUs, for clarity of explanation, theinvention is not limited to those specific examples. Variousimplementations consistent with the invention may be used with and for awide variety of computerized devices, such as medical device (e.g.,dialysis machines, infusion pumps, etc.); robots; drones; autonomousvehicles; and wireless communication modules (e.g., embedded UniversalIntegrated Circuit Cards (eUICC)), among others.

The various operations of the applications described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more VMs. In additional oralternative implementations, the operations of the applicationsdescribed herein may be performed, at least partially by one or moreprocessors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) orpermanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whethertemporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constituteprocessor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or moreapplication operations, functions, and roles described herein. As usedherein, the term ‘processor-implemented module’ refers to a hardwaremodule implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. Moreover, the one or more processors mayalso operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a‘cloud computing’ environment or as a ‘software as a service’ (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an API).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example implementations, theprocessors or processor-implemented modules may be located in a singlegeographic location (e.g., within an office environment, a manufacturingenvironment, or a server farm). In other example implementations, theprocessors or processor-implemented modules may be distributed across anumber of geographic locations.

Other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilledin the art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of theinvention being indicated by the claims below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for securely provisioning a plurality of computerized devices of a plurality of tenants, the system comprising: a registration authority that corresponds to a tenant identifier (ID); and a security credential management system (SCMS) host that is communicatively connected to the plurality of computerized devices and to the registration authority, and that is operable to receive provisioning requests from respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates, each provisioning request indicating the tenant ID uniquely identifying a tenant among the plurality of tenants, wherein each tenant ID is associated with one or more computerized devices of the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates, and wherein the SCMS host is further operable to transmit each of the provisioning requests to the registration authority corresponding to the tenant ID; wherein the registration authority forwards each of the transmitted provisioning requests to a set of SCMS backend components associated with the registration authority, wherein the set of SCMS backend components comprises: an enrollment certificate authority operable to generate an enrollment certificate in response to receiving a provisioning request for an enrollment certificate from the registration authority; and a pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates in response to receiving a provisioning request for pseudonym certificates from the registration authority, and wherein the SCMS host is configured to track a number of computerized devices provisioned for each of the plurality of tenants based on the provisioning requests, and to verify, based on the tracking, that overproduction by the tenant has not occurred.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first linkage authority and a second linkage authority operable to generate linkage values in response to receiving a provisioning request for linkage values from the registration authority.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of registration authorities that includes the registration authority, the plurality of registration authorities comprising: at least one shared registration authority that corresponds to two or more tenant IDs and that is operable to process requests for two or more tenants of the plurality of tenants; and at least one dedicated registration authority that corresponds to a single tenant ID and that is operable to process requests for a single tenant represented by the single tenant ID, wherein the single tenant has either a business requirement for certain customization or a service level agreement (SLA) indicating that the SCMS host is to provide a higher service tier to the single tenant than a service tier provided to the two or more tenants.
 4. The system of claim 3, further comprising: a plurality of sets of SCMS backend components, the plurality of sets of SCMS backend components comprising: a shared set of SCMS backend components, the shared set of SCMS backend components comprising: a shared enrollment certificate authority, which is operable to generate enrollment certificates for two or more tenants of the plurality of tenants in response to receiving requests to generate enrollment certificates from the at least one shared registration authority; a shared first linkage authority and a shared second linkage authority operable to generate linkage values for two or more tenants of the plurality of tenants in response to receiving requests for linkage values from the at least one shared registration authority; and a shared pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates for two or more tenants of the plurality of tenants in response to receiving requests for pseudonym certificates from the at least one shared registration authority; and an independent set of SCMS backend components, the independent set of SCMS backend components comprising: an independent first linkage authority and an independent second linkage authority operable to generate linkage values for the single tenant in response to receiving requests for linkage values from the at least one dedicated registration authority; and an independent pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates for the single tenant in response to receiving requests for pseudonym certificates from the at least one dedicated registration authority.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein a service tier is associated with each tenant of the plurality of tenants, and wherein the service tier corresponds to one of a plurality of tiers ranging from a lowest service level to a highest service level.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein the SCMS host is further operable to: parse the tenant ID from each provisioning request that is received; and route, based on the tenant ID, each provisioning request to one of the at least one shared registration authority and the at least one dedicated registration authority.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein each provisioning request indicates the tenant ID in one or more of: a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a route, a key value pair, or an HTTP header element.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein each provisioning request further indicates one or more of: configuration details for the tenant, application permissions needed by the tenant, and validity information for certificates needed by a computerized device of the tenant.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the application permissions needed by the tenant are centrally configured and managed by the SCMS host, and wherein the application permissions needed by the tenant are inserted in the issued certificates based on the tenant ID or a device identifier identifying a computerized device of the tenant.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the application permissions are indicated by Provider Service Identifier (PSID) values.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein each provisioning request is an HTTPS POST command with a URL of the at least one registration authority.
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a certificate management system (CMS) management portal (CMP) operable to provide interfaces for the plurality of computerized devices and the plurality of tenants to communicate with the SCMS host.
 13. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a subscriber management system (SMS) operable to store and manage account information of the plurality of tenants.
 14. The system of claim 13, further comprising: an SMS database that is operably connected to the SMS and that is operable to store the account information and local policy parameters for the tenant.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the local policy parameters are stored in a local policy file (LPF) for the tenant.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the LPF for the tenant includes one or more parameters that configure: a duration of validity for certificates, a number of certificates computerized devices of the tenant are allowed to possess, an overlap time period for certificates, an amount of time the certificates will be valid for in the future, and an indication of when the tenant will need to request a certificate top-off.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the computerized devices needing certificates correspond to one or more of an on board unit (OBU), an electronic control unit (ECU), a road-side unit (RSU), and a traffic management center device (TMCD).
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein: the OBU is operable to be installed in one or more of a vehicle, a watercraft, an aircraft, a spacecraft, a medical device, a robot, a drone, a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, and an internet of things (IoT) device; the ECU is operable to be installed in one or more of a vehicle, a boat, an aircraft, a spacecraft, a medical device, a robot, a drone, a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, and an IoT device; the RSU is operable to be installed in one or more of a traffic control device, a wireless communication module, a digital billboard, and as an electronic sign; and the TMCD is operable to be installed in local, state or federal traffic management centers for use in digitally signing messages for broadcast or display by an RSU.
 19. A system for securely provisioning a plurality of computerized devices of a plurality of tenants, the system comprising: a security credential management system (SCMS) host that is communicatively connected to the plurality of computerized devices and that is operable to receive provisioning requests from respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates, each provisioning request indicating a tenant identifier (ID) uniquely identifying a tenant of the plurality of tenants and a device type identifying the device type for the respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices, wherein each tenant ID is associated with one or more computerized devices of the respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates; and a registration authority that is communicatively connected to the SCMS host and is operable to receive, from the SCMS host based on the tenant ID, a provisioning request from among the provisioning requests, and to transmit the received provisioning request to a set of SCMS backend components associated with the registration authority, the set of SCMS backend components comprising: an enrollment certificate authority operable to generate an enrollment certificate in response to receiving a provisioning request for an enrollment certificate from the associated registration authority; and a pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates in response to receiving a provisioning request for pseudonym certificates from the registration authority, wherein the SCMS host is configured to verify whether a computerized device associated with a provisioning request is approved by an authorizing body based on the device type prior to sending the provisioning request to the registration authority, and wherein the SCMS host is configured to track a number of computerized devices provisioned for each of the plurality of tenants and of each device type based on the provisioning requests, and to verify, based on the tracking, that overproduction has not occurred for a particular device type.
 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the registration authority comprises a dedicated registration authority that is associated with a first tenant, and wherein the dedicated registration authority is configured to access different sets of SCMS backend components based on the device type associated with the respective provisioning request.
 21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the dedicated registration authority is configured to transmit a provisioning request from one of a subset of an onboard unit device (OBU), a roadside unit (RSU), an electronic control unit (ECU), and a traffic management control unit (TMCU) to a first SCMS backend component, and to transmit a provisioning request from another one of an OBU, RSU, ECU, and TMCU not included in the subset, to a second SCMS backend component.
 22. The system according to claim 19, wherein the SCMS host is configured to verify whether a computerized device associated with a provisioning request is authorized by accessing account information associated with the tenant ID.
 23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the SCMS host is further configured to verify whether the computerized device associated with the provisioning request has an active status.
 24. The system according to claim 19, wherein the SCMS host is configured to configure a local policy file (LPF) in response to a provisioning request, the LPF configuration being based at least on the device type.
 25. A computer implemented method for securely provisioning a plurality of computerized devices of a plurality of tenants, the method comprising: receiving, by a security credential management system (SCMS) host that is communicatively connected to the plurality of computerized devices, provisioning requests from the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates, each provisioning request indicating a tenant identifier (ID) uniquely identifying a tenant of the plurality of tenants and a device type identifying the device type for the respective ones of the plurality of computerized devices, wherein each tenant ID is associated with one or more computerized devices of the plurality of computerized devices needing certificates; and routing, by the SCMS host, based at least in part on the tenant ID and the device type, the provisioning requests to a registration authority that is communicatively connected to the SCMS host and is operable to transmit the provisioning requests to a set of SCMS backend components, the set of SCMS backend components comprising: an enrollment certificate authority operable to generate the enrollment certificates in response to receiving the provisioning requests for the enrollment certificates from the registration authority; a pseudonym certificate authority operable to generate pseudonym certificates in response to receiving the provisioning requests for pseudonym certificates from the registration authority, wherein the SCMS host is configured to verify whether a computerized device associated with a provisioning request is approved by an authorizing body based on the device type prior to routing the provisioning request to the registration authority; counting a number of computerized devices provisioned for each of the plurality of tenants and each device type based on the provisioning requests; and verifying, based on the counting, that overproduction has not occurred for a particular device type.
 26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the registration authority is a dedicated registration authority, and the dedicated registrations authority is associated with a first tenant, and wherein the dedicated registration authority is configured to access different SCMS backend components based on the device type associated with the respective provisioning request.
 27. The method according to claim 25, comprising configuring a local policy file (LPF) in response to a provisioning request, the LPF configuration being based at least on the device type.
 28. The method according to claim 25, comprising verifying whether a computerized device associated with a provisioning request is authorized by accessing account information associated with the tenant ID. 